Sous Chef - Japanese Cuisine

Denton, TX, USA|Onsite

Job Overview

Employment Type

Full-time

Compensation

Salary

Range $70,000.00 - $75,000.00

Work Schedule

Rotating Shifts

Benefits

Paid Time Off

401K with company match

company sponsored life insurance

Medical Plans

Dental plans

vision plans

Voluntary Short-Term Disability Insurance

Voluntary long-term disability insurance

Voluntary life plan

accident insurance

Hospital plans

Employee assistance program

Employee Discounts

weekly pay for union employees

Free hot healthy meals

Job Description

Gategroup is a global leader in airline catering and hospitality services, dedicated to enhancing the travel experience for airline customers through high-quality food and exceptional service. Known for its commitment to excellence, passion, responsibility, and respect, gategroup operates with the goal of delivering memorable culinary experiences that cater to diverse customer needs worldwide. With a focus on innovation and sustainability, the company emphasizes creating safe, inclusive, and dynamic workplace environments where employees are encouraged to grow and contribute their best.

This position is for a Sous Chef, Operations, reporting directly to the Executive Chef. It is a full-time, exempt role based in the USA, with an annual salary range of $70,000 to $75,000. The Sous Chef, Operations, plays a critical leadership role in the preparation and design of meals specifically crafted for Asian airline customers, requiring expertise and experience in Asian culinary profiles, with a strong emphasis on Japanese cuisine. This role demands a culinary leader who not only has technical skills in cooking and kitchen management but also the ability to supervise and motivate a team of up to 40 kitchen employees in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment.

The Sous Chef, Operations is responsible for ensuring compliance with food safety and sanitation regulations, including FDA, USDA, and HAACP standards, while driving the production efforts alongside Food Supervisors. Daily responsibilities include managing food specifications, labor objectives, scheduling, ordering raw materials, preparing production sheets, and maintaining cleanliness and safety throughout the kitchen. The role requires a combination of culinary knowledge and operational expertise, emphasizing quality control, consistency, and team productivity. The candidate must be adept at coaching, counseling, and training employees, fostering a productive work environment that aligns with union agreements and company policies.

Gategroup values employees who demonstrate excellence by prioritizing customer needs and continuously improving their skills. Passion for hospitality and a growth mindset are essential, as is a strong sense of responsibility toward colleagues, customers, and the environment. Respect for diversity, inclusion, and collaboration forms the foundation of the workplace culture.

This role includes many physical demands, such as standing, bending, lifting over 25 pounds, and working extended shifts of 10+ hours, with a rotating schedule that can exceed 55 hours per week. It requires excellent communication skills, leadership ability, and the capacity to manage multiple priorities effectively. Technical skills such as ServSafe certification and familiarity with Microsoft Office products are preferred, and previous experience in in-flight catering or high-volume food service environments is advantageous.

If you are passionate about culinary arts and leadership and want to contribute to making travel memorable through exceptional meals, this opportunity with gategroup offers a chance to grow professionally within a global organization committed to employees' wellbeing and development.

Job Requirements

Associates degree in the culinary arts or culinary arts certification preferred
1-3 years of experience as a chef or sous chef required
7 years of experience as a cook required
previous supervisory experience preferred
minimum 3 years experience in Japanese cuisine required
ability to cook meals according to detailed specifications
ability to work in a fast paced, deadline driven environment
strong leadership skills
ability to manage a team of cooks
ability to train others
excellent time management skills
strong organizational and communication skills
adherence to company policies and training
able to lift and move over 25 pounds
willingness to work rotating schedule over 55 hours per week
ability to provide daily feedback to employees
ServSafe certification preferred

Job Qualifications

Associates degree in the culinary arts or a culinary arts certification preferred
minimum 1-3 years of experience as a chef and/or sous chef required
minimum 7 years of experience as a cook required
previous supervisory experience working in a high volume, manufacturing, food production, restaurant or catering environment preferred
minimum 3 years Japanese cuisine experience
in-flight catering experience or experience in a high-volume food service environment preferred
ability to cook meals according to detailed specifications
ability to work in a fast paced, deadline driven environment
must have strong and effective leadership skills
ability to successfully manage a team of cooks
candidate must be comfortable with all levels of employees
ability to train others required
must have the ability to give negative and positive feedback to employees on a daily basis
excellent time management skills required
ability to handle multiple tasks without losing focus on priorities
strong organizational, analytical, communication and leadership skills required
must be innovative and have the ability to make changes to the operation to further improve the work environment and unit performance
experience with menu design a plus
basic computer skills required
working knowledge of Microsoft Office products preferred
ServSafe certified is preferred
must have excellent written and oral communication skills
bi-lingual in Spanish is a plus

Job Duties

Responsible for ensuring food specifications and labor objectives meet all company and customer requirements
supervises department for quality and quantity
ensures items are produced and dated according to specification and coding system is adhered to correctly
keeps account of attendance, sets up paperwork, sets up each shift, and assigns employees to specified sections
orders raw material from storeroom and produces extra meals at last minute as needed
prepares daily production sheet and assigns tasks to employees
works with and directs employees through the use of the production sheet and passenger counts
responsible for all food items after requisitioning them from the storeroom
training and recurrent training of all employees on proper procedures of preparation
ensures safety procedures are adhered to
maintain cleanliness through shift to ensure quality product
manages daily production of hot and/or cold kitchens for quality and consistency
ensures compliance with company wage and hour policy, including ensuring employees get rest and meal breaks
trains and monitors employees on proper work procedures to ensure maximum productivity with minimum labor and food expenses
monitors daily manpower planning and schedules employees
responsible for employee retention and reducing employee turnover
responsible for coaching, counseling, and preparing corrective actions for employees in compliance with applicable union/collective bargaining agreement
reviews and ensures employees in chain of command are in correct cost centers and correct job titles
reviews and ensures union represented employees' pay rates are correct based on wage scales and seniority
employee must complete all company required training including but not limited to ServSafe
compliance with all company required policies, procedures and processes including but not limited to required training